December 22, 2009
Obama Healthcare and PAC Money Contributions
I just finished reading a story in USA Today that wasn't really surprising. What did get my attention in it was an outright lie contained in a statement by Ms. Jill Kozeny, a Senator's spokeswoman.
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December 18, 2009
Connie the RN and Health Care
Yesterday I stopped by the Post Office to see if there was any mail in my P. O. Box. Sure enough, there was a letter. When I opened it after arriving at home, I was astonished to see that it was a four-page handwritten letter. Yes, in cursive handwriting. In this day and age, that's something in itself to behold.
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New Gingrich and the Non-Rotarians
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, gave a stirring speech at a Rotary Club function recently. It was within the past six weeks or so, because Newt mentions the terrorist act that happened in Ft. Hood.
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Behavioral Advertising Explained in Simple English
You're able to view this Fire Pit website of mine for free. It costs you nothing. The same is true for my AsktheBuilder.com website. How would you feel if those sites disappeared off the web, because I couldn't afford to pay the tens of thousands of dollars a year it costs me to provide these free services to you? Guess what, and this should not surprise you, there are politicians who are trying to make my websites and hundreds of thousands of other ones disappear. The leader of the gang is Congressman Rich Boucher, representing Virginia's 9th District.
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December 17, 2009
New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration
Yesterday I spent five hours at a public hearing in Concord, NH at the State Office Park on Pleasant Street. It was anything but pleasant listening to the shenanigans of what happened in the middle of the night back in June, 2009.
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December 13, 2009
Lt. Col. Allen West Rally Speech
Lt. Col. Allen West served more than 20 years in the US Army. He's now running for the 22nd District Congressional Seat in Florida. He appeared at a rally recently and gave a passionate speech that reminded me somewhat of the beginning of the movie Patton.
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WTOC-TV Editorial About the Ft. Hood Terrorist Act
Bill Cathcart, the VP General Manager of WTOC-TV in Savannah, Georgia, has really hit the nail on the head about political correctness. He went on camera and made a stand. My good friend Loren Power sent me the link to this great editorial.
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Vic Markey - Response to Barry Bernier
Vic Markey sent me a long email that really shines a light on some of the points Barry Bernier made in an earlier post. Here are two men who both put their lives on the line and look at a situation through a different lens. While exposed to the same events, each decided to construct their own personal reality from the same material. Read what Vic has to say.
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Mike Cochrane and Health Care Reform
One of the very fascinating things about this blog is the feedback I get from subscribers to the newsletter. I wonder if you find the perspective provided by others as interesting as I do. Not too long ago a book was written about a similar topic called The Wisdom of the Crowds. The main tenet of the book was that when you throw together the collective wisdom of all in the crowd, or room, or state or nation, you often get the right answer. I'm glad Mike Cochrane reached out. Here's what he had to say:
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December 9, 2009
Citizens for California Reform Needs Signatures
Veronica Hill is a very dear friend of mine, as is her husband Jason. I got to visit with them in late October when I was on my journey out West. They both are natives of California, and are trying to raise a family in these challenging times. Perhaps you're unaware of the massive financial trouble California is facing, and the growing unrest of its citizens.
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Alan Ossege - Give Him Liberty, Well, Give It to All of Us
The first custom home I ever built was for a great guy named Mark Ossege. Mark and I became close friends through the job and after. We still eat noodles for lunch whenever possible. This friendship started 25 years ago, and about 10 or so ago, I got to meet his brother Alan.
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December 7, 2009
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann - Truth about GM Bailout
Michele Bachmann is the Congressional representative for Minnesota's 6th District. She made an impassioned speech on Capitol Hill about some of the secondary effects of the GM Bailout that occurred in late 2008. If you're a student of World History, you'll readily admit that what happened at the height of the economic crisis of 2008 was that one part of our auto industry was nationalized. The politicians who engineered the takeover didn't want to use that word, as it historically is one of the road stops of transforming from capitalism to socialism. The politicians preferred to use the softer term - bailout. Wait till you hear what Congresswoman Bachmann has to say about that!
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December 6, 2009
Barry Bernier USMC - Response to Health Care Parody Video
As you might expect, I have people of every political persuasion who come to share some of the heat put off by the fire here in the pit. Barry Bernier, Retired USMC, is one of them. Over the past week, he's sent me a few emails about the things I write about. The one he sent me last night was particularly interesting.
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December 4, 2009
ClimateGate and Continental Glaciers
As I continue down this road of politics and what's going on in our world, I'm adding new friends each day. That's really exciting. Matt Hester is one. He's a subscriber to my AsktheBuilder.com newsletter, and he responded to a recent one making sure I was aware of the unfolding conspiracy that was uncovered about Global Warming, or is it Climate Change? I can't keep it straight as the name changes with the wind direction. Matt, you bet I was aware of it, and I can add an additional data point many might be unaware of.
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Overpaid Celebrities Public Service Announcement Parody
My very good friend Steve Loyola, who loves to hunt golf balls with me, sent me a link to a very funny video on YouTube. Surely you've seen on real television those public-service announcements made by polished Hollywood stars, right? If so, you'll love this parody.
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December 3, 2009
Citizens DIY Project and Citizen Cleanup
I just got in from sorting through five bags of litter I picked up on the side of Batchelder Road in Meredith, New Hampshire. I walk along that road each day to get exercise. But since the frost has killed the vegetation, Mother Nature has exposed all the litter left behind by some lazy and inconsiderate motorists who travel this secluded road near my home.
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December 2, 2009
President Obama Cabinet Lacks Private-Sector Experience
We are in the midst of the worst recession and economic downturn in decades. The numbers show that it could end up, or currently is, the worst since the Great Depression. To get us out of this mess, one would think the President would surround himself with people who have deep experience in the private sector. After all, the private sector, not government, generates all the revenue that pays taxes and creates real wealth.
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White House Community Jobs Forum
Overnight one of my subscribers, Frances Galbreath, emailed me about an outreach effort by the White House concerning an upcoming discussion and business summit where the President will meet with all sorts of people to try to figure the best way to create jobs. Here is what Frances sent me:
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December 1, 2009
Robert Tingler Health Care Perspective
I met Robert Tingler the summer of 2009 in Chicago, IL, along with another subscriber of mine. When I travel to other cities, I try my best to carve out some extra time to hang out with followers. We had a grand time sipping liquid refreshment on the bank of the Chicago River at an Irish pub while fireworks blasted off Navy Pier. I had just started the Fire Pit in my AsktheBuilder.com newsletter, and politics drifted into our discussion that night.